A GROUP of students from Henley College, Coventry, are to take a group of disabled people on a trip of a lifetime in the Cutty Sark Tall Ships Race 2001, between Belgium and Norway.

They will man the Lord Nelson, owned by the Jubilee Sailing Trust, using a buddy system with eight disabled people.

All crew members will play an active part in running the ship, irrespective of age, ability, disability or gender.

A rota system means that duties will vary from being on deck in the early hours, taking the wheel, polishing the brass or even going aloft to change the sails.

The Prince's Trust volunteers are undertaking the race as part of a 12-week personal development programme that requires them to care for others in a residential setting.

Group leader Luke Ramsdale said: "This really is something special. No team has ever tackled such a challenge before, which makes the efforts of everyone concerned with the challenge even more remarkable."

The Lord Nelson will be the only vessel in the race to be crewed by a mix of able-bodied and disabled crew members

The volunteers will set sail from Antwerp on Sunday and are expected to dock at Alesund, in Norway, 10 days later.